Slap Shot

Cast: Paul Newman, Michael Ontkean, Strother Martin

Director: George Roy Hill “(1977)

Slap Shot may just be the funniest sports film ever made. Perennial movie star and Oscar nominee Paul Newman showed his comedic chops. This film is dated, but NEVER feels dated. If you love to laugh, this is the film for you.

A Struggling Minor League Hockey Team struggles on and off the ice whether to play old time Hockey or the new brand of hockey where fighting is the name of the game.  

Fun Facts:   After the success of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, Director George Roy Hill was hoping this film would be his third collaboration with Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Unfortunately, Redford was making  All the President’s Men  at the same time. This opened the door for Canadian actor and minor league hockey player, Michael Ontkean to take the pivotal character of “Ned Braden.”

Filmed around Pittsburgh, part of the storyline is the mills in the area were closing down and workers were losing their jobs. The producers hired some of the former workers in the film as extras to help out.

The locals were very impressed with Newman’s athletic prowess. The actor did 90 percent of his skating for the film. It was reported that Newman also brought his penchant for practical jokes with him as well, which made for a happy shoot.

Opinion/Review: Nobody ever gives enough credit to the fact that this macho sports classic was written by a woman named Nancy Dowd in the mid-1970’s. Her brother Ned Dowd was a minor league hockey player. Ned ended up playing the much lauded and feared Ogie Oglethorpe in the film. Every generation seems to love this film. The fact that it’s over 40 years old, doesn’t diminish the film at all. It just adds to its luster.